Device for scraping and testing well tubing



Feb. 9, 1954 L. E. HAY

DEVICE FOR SCRAPING AND TESTING WELL TUBING Filed Jan. 14, 1950INVENTOR. LEHMAN E. HAY

ATIORNEYS the tubing until the testing pressure of the tubing isreached, for example, until a pressure of 5000 pounds per square inch isreached and the tubing tested. After the tubing has been tested, thehydraulic pressure is released from the tubing and the connections arechanged at the surface to supply pressure to the annulus between thetubing and the casing so that the hydraulic medium, for example,drilling mud enters the tubing at its bottom to force the scraperupwardly and out of the tubing. In practice, it has. been foundexpedient to first test the tubing which is to be used in thesqueeze-cementing prior to effecting the squeeze-cementing andtheneffect a test after the squeeze-cementing to determine Whether thetubing can withstand the well production pressure.

Referring to the single figure of the drawings,

which is partly in section to show details, the well bore is indicatedat I and has a casing H disposed therein and in spaced relationtherewith, while the well tubing I2 is positioned within the casing alsoin spaced relation with the casing providing an annulus 13. A hollowplug M" which is internally screw threaded at its upper end is removablysecured to the lower end of the tubing l2 and may be provided with ascrew threaded area at its lower end in order to be adapted to receiveother tools used in well drilling operations. The principal function ofthe I hollow plug [4, however, is in the provision of a drilled outportion l5 which is of sufficiently small diameter to prevent furtherdownward movement of the testing and scraping device and operates as astop for the lower end of the device,

but permits fluid to flow therethrough.

The testing and scraping device comprises a support having at its upperand lower ends respectively extensions 2| and 22 which are removablysecured to the support. The extensions are similar in construction andas shown in connection'with the lower extension 22, each is providedwith a screw threaded end 23, to permit the extensions to be removablysecured to the support. The upper extension 2! is provided with aplurality of vanes 24, while th lower extating when it is forced downinto the tubing and thus effects a more positive scraping action. It

will be understood when the tool is inserted in the tubing 12 that boththe tubing and casing ll will contain liquid, then as the tool 20isforced downwardly by liquid pressure it will force liquid ahead ofitthrough the lower end of the tubing and cause its circulation throughthe casing. Thus theupper set of vanes 24 and the lower set of vanes 25will both be in contact with fluid at all times and because of theopposed relationship of the sets of vanes, the tool will be preventedfrom rotating. The upper extension is provided with a laterallyextending flange portion 26 while the support 20 is provided with acooperating laterally extending flange 21. Similarly the lower extension22 is provided with a j laterally extending flange 28 while the supporthas a cooperating laterally extending flange 29. Referring to the lowerportion ofthe figure eh is partly in section, it will be seen that theextension 22 is screw threaded into the lower end of the support 20positioning the flanges 28 and 29 in spaced relation. It will beunderstood that the upper extension 2| is assembled on the support 20 ina manner similar to that of the extension 22. A flexible sealing member30 is rigidly held between the flanges 2B and 29 and is provided with anupstanding flange 3| providing in effect a cup shaped receptacl which,as fluid is admitted to the tubing l2, prevents the passage of fluidthrough the tubing beyond the sealing member 30 which then functions asa piston to force the tool toward the bottom of the tubing. It will beunderstood, of course, that a similar sealing member 32 is providedbetween the flanges 26 and 21 at the upper end of the device and has adepending flange 33 forming a cup shaped receptacle. In operation, whenthe fluid is admitted to the tube 12, it will pass the upper end of thescraper and be limited in its passage by the flanges 3! of the sealingring 30 and the flanges 3| will be flexed outwardly to prevent thepassage of fluid below the seal ring and force the tool into thetubing.After the scraper has reached the bottom of the tubing, its lower end 35is designed to seat about the upper end of drill l5 and prevent furtherdownward movement of the device through the tubing. After the movementof the device is stopped, the further application of hydraulic pressurewill increase the pressure in the tubing and by continuing the pressure,the tubing can be tested to th desired degree as of the order of 5000 p.s. 1. After the tubing has been tested or after it has been scraped, thesupply of liquid to the upper end of the tubing I2 is cut off anddirected into the annulus l3, the liquid passing downwardly therethroughand upwardly through the drilled out portion 15 into the inverted cupshaped receptacle of sealing ring 33 to force the scraper upwardly andout of the tubing. It will of course be understood that the lower end oithe casing H will be plugged off during the cementing operation by thedeposit of cement C and thus provide for circulation of the fluid fromthe annulus l3 upwardly through the hollow plug M and tubing l2.

In the above detailed description of the preferred embodiment of theinvention, the upper and lower scraping elements are generallysymmetrical as are the flexible sealing rings, and the generalarrangement of the upper scraper and the upper sealing ring issymmetrical with that of the lower scraper and th lower sealing ring. Itis preferred to embody the invention in this particular design of devicesince its use can be made fool-proof in that either end of the devicemay be inserted into the tubing and the device used in the testing andscraping operations. or course it will be understood that in its broaderaspects various types of scraping elements, as well as various types offlexible or resilient seal rings, could be used and the function of theinvention carried out. The invention in its broader aspects can becarried out by ,the use of one scraping and one seal ring positioned incooperating relation on the support;

The manner of securing the seal rings between 1 the laterally extendingflanges has an advantage,

- This prevents the sealing rings from being expanded by'the pressure ofthehydrauliq; fluid to such an extent that they are apt to stick againstthe tubing wall.

I claim:

1. A device adapted for testing and scraping well tubing, whichcomprises an elongate support, a set of tube scraping elements on eachend of said support and extending laterally therefrom, a pair ofresilient seal rings on said support between the sets of scrapingelements, said seal rings being adapted to be forced into sealingengagement with the inner wall of the tubing by a hydraulic mediumadmitted to the well tubing and to move the device into and out of thetubing under the pressure of the hydraulic medium.

2. A device adapted for testing and'scraping Well tubing which comprisesan elongate support, a pair of flanges extending laterally from thesupport, one spaced from one end and the other spaced from the other endof the support, an extension removably secured at each end of thesupport, each extension having a laterallyextending flange adjacent itsinner end, one extension flange providing a space with one of thesupport flanges and the other extension flange providing a space withthe other support flange, a resilient seal ring positioned in each ofsaid spaces and adapted to be forced into sealing engagement with theinner wall of the tubing and a set of laterally extending scrapingelements on each extension.

3. A device adapted for testing and scraping well tubing which comprisesan elongate support, a pair of flanges extending outwardly from thesupport, one spaced from one end and the other spaced from the other endof the support, an extension removably secured at each end of thesupport, each extension having a laterally extending flange adjacent itsinner end, one extension flange providing a space with one of thesupport flanges and the other extension flange providing a space withthe other support flange, a resilient seal ring positioned in each ofsaid spaces adapted to be forced into sealing engagement with the innerwall of the tubing, a set of vaned scraping elements on each extensionextending laterally therefrom and at an angle to the longitudinal axisof the extension, the scraping elements of one extension being disposedat an angle opposite to that of the scraping elements of the otherextension.

4. A device adapted for testing and scraping well tubing which comprisesan elongate support, a pair of flanges extending outwardly from thesupport, one spaced from one end and the other spaced from the other endof the support, an extension removably secured at each end of thesupport, each extension having an outwardly extending flange adjacentits inner end, one providing a space with one of the support flanges andthe other providing a space with the other sup-port flange, a resilientseal ring in each of said spaces, a vertical flange on each seal ring,one vertical flange extending in a direction opposite to the othervertical flange, one of said vertical flanges being adapted to be forcedin contact with the tubing wall when a hydraulic medium is admitted tothe upper end of the tubing and force the device to the bottom of thetubing and the other vertical flange adapted. to be forced in contactwith the well tubing when the hydraulic medium is supplied to the lowerend of the tubing to force the device to the top of the tubing, and ahollow plug at the lower end of the tubing to stop the downward movementof the device and permit the tubing to be tested by continuing thesupply of the hydraulic medium to the upper end of the tubing.

5. A device for testing and scraping well tubing, which comprises anelongate support, a set of vaned scraping elements flxed to said supportadjacent one end thereof and extending laterally therefrom at an angleto the longitudinal axis of the support, another set of vaned scrapingelements fixed to said support adjacent its other end and disposed at anangle opposite to that of the scraping elements of the other set, and aseal ring on said support between the sets of scraping elements andadapted to be forced into sealing engagement with the tubing wall bypressure contact with hydraulic medium used to move the device into orout of the well tubing.

LEI-IMAN E. HAY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 68,917 Waite Sept. 17, 1867 576,425 Bilton et a1. .Feb. 2,1897 1,260,241 Minton Mar. 19, 1918 1,547,440 Penn July 28, 19251,810,260 Swinford June 16, 1931 2,094,897 Leidecker Oct. 5, 19372,143,450 Pippenger Jan. 10, 1939 2,179,812 Calkins Nov. 14, 19392,225,413 Festervan et a1 Dec. 17, 1940 2,245,128 Gardner June 10, 19412,295,058 Smethers Sept. 8, 1942 2,427,632 Stephens Sept. 16, 1947

